'Dangerous' e-scooters ban at seaside holiday parks

E-scooters have been banned at Skegness Water Leisure Park

A holiday park owner on the Lincolnshire coast has banned e-scooters over "significant safety concerns".

Visitors to Skegness Water Leisure Park, Greenacres, Waterford Holiday Park, St Michael's Park and Nursery Bungalow are no longer allowed to ride the vehicles.

John Chappell, chief executive of Ellis Bros Group, which owns the parks, said he was concerned about children using the scooters unsupervised, and said there had been "several near misses" at the sites.

"Nobody wants a tragedy on holiday. It's protecting people from, potentially, very nasty accidents," he said.

"It's not to try to spoil their holiday. These things are, potentially, very dangerous.

"Some people – a minority of people – don't seem to understand the need to supervise children using them."

The group's parks are all on the Lincolnshire coast, including in Ingoldmells.

Mr Chappell said he was also concerned about a potential fire risk.

"There's a growing issue of fire safety around how e-scooters are stored and charged up," he said.

"With high-pressure gas cylinders stored adjacent to caravans, it becomes a major explosion risk."

The e-scooter ban is in place at Skegness Water Leisure Park

Legally, e-scooters are classed as motor vehicles, and riders need to have a licence and insurance.

A Lincolnshire Police spokesperson said: "It's not currently possible to get insurance for privately owned e-scooters.

"This means it's illegal to use them on the road or in public spaces."

The British Holiday & Home Parks Association said it issued e-scooter guidance to its members last year.

"It is perfectly permissible in the park rules to ban e-scooters," a spokesperson said.

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